Michael & Thread,
investors.com
Converters: Cheaper PC-To-TV Alternative
Date: 12/18/97
Author: Jan Stafford
Don't want to shell out $5,000 for a new PC-TV
home entertainment center? There is a cheaper
alternative.
PC-to-TV converters make it possible to display PC
or Macintosh presentations, games or Web sites on
any TV.
Once used only by schools and business training
centers, these book-sized devices are catching on
with home users and mobile workers.
''In the U.S., monthly sales of PC/Mac-to- TV
converters have reached 50,000 to 100,000 units,''
said Arthur Pait, marketing director for AVerMedia,
Inc. , which makes the devices in Fremont, Calif.
''Sales are even higher in China, Korea and Japan.''
PC-to-TV converters are external boxes that
connect the two devices via cables. They use a
process called scan conversion technology to
change a PC's video output to a TV-compatible
format. They start at $200.
The low cost of PC-to-TV devices is winning
converts. One reason is the high cost of LCD
projectors, which many people now use for
presentations. These can cost $1,500 to $10,000, a
price that makes PC-to-TV more attractive, Pait
says.
Since TVs are in most sites where PCs are used, the
need to buy extra viewing equipment is eliminated,
said Doug Patterson, director of marketing for rival
maker AITech International Inc. , also of Fremont.
Even if a TV must be bought, a 31-inch set is much
cheaper than a 31-inch computer monitor.
''More people are using their laptops to give
presentations,'' Patterson said. ''Since there are TVs
in most locations, it's easier for them to hook their
laptops to an on-site TV than lug an LCD projector
around.''
The TV itself also aids any presentation, according
to Pait. He says people expect TV to be entertaining,
which creates more interest in the presentations than
those offered on PC screens or via projectors.
It also makes it easier when you don't have to dim
the lights, says Pait. Although high-end LCD
projectors produce images bright enough to avoid
light dimming, most don't.
''Dimming lights makes it hard to get quality
attention from an audience and makes taking notes
difficult,'' said Pait. That will help in schools, where
teachers can maintain better classroom control when
lights are on.
Their ease of use also ca erase people's
technophobia. You simply connect the output port
of the PC or Mac to the converter, which you
connect to the input port of the TV.
Converters can be compact. AITech's Pocket Scan
Converter weighs five ounces and measures about
five inches wide, two inches deep, and one inch
high.
Homeowners are using PC-to-TV converters to
view Web sites and run PC-based games or
CD-ROM educational programs.
Patterson sees a trend toward more PCs in home
entertainment centers. People who upgrade to
Pentium PCs can put their old 486s alongside their
TVs and VCRs, he says.
''Using a PC-to-TV converter with a remote mouse
or keyboard, they're getting on the Internet and
playing games on their TV without having to buy
WebTV,'' he said. Microsoft Corp.'s WebTV
provides Internet access through televisions.
AITech's new PC-TV AirLink eliminates the need to
connect the PC directly to the TV. AirLink sends
audio/video signals from the PC to the TV up to 300
feet through obstructions. The package includes the
transmitter to attach to the PC, a receiver to connect
to a TV, a keyboard/mouse, and cables and
connectors.
With PC-TV AirLink, families can leave the PC
upstairs while running educational software, surfing
the Internet, or playing Monopoly on the TV in the
playroom, says Patterson.
The remote control is used to operate most PC/TV
functions. For instance, the AVerMedia AVerKey3
includes a remote control and control panel to use
when the remote is hidden under a sofa cushion.
There are some drawbacks to PC-to-TV. Image
quality is a big one.
''Let's face it, TVs don't offer the VGA image quality
of a PC,'' said Pait. Even so, image quality isn't bad.
AVerKey3 Plus can produce more than 16 million
colors.
Image enhancement features help bring TV images
closer to PC quality. Focus Enhancements' TView
Silver converter offers TrueScale image
compression technology, which fits the computer
image on a television.
TView Silver and AVerKey3 Plus are just two of
many products that offer an area-zoom function that
divides the screen into sections, allowing the user to
zoom in and out of individual areas.
Before long, it won't be necessary to buy a PC- TV
converter to link these two media. New TVs are
offering internal PC conversion capabilities.
This new trend won't put PC-TV converter makers
out of business. Most say they are selling their
conversion technology to television manufacturers.
''PC-to-TV connectivity is here to stay,'' said Pait.
''Before long, it will be as commonly used as
VCRs.''
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